Gracious God and most merciful Father, you have granted us the rich and precious jewel of your holy Word: Assist us with your Spirit, that the same Word may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to your own image, to build us up and edify us into the perfect dwelling place of your Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues; grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Landscape and seascape all in one 💚💙 #Devon

Loving the crepuscular rays ☀️#Nature #NaturePhotography pic.twitter.com/dVUlO3lrsT

— Tracey’s Photos of Devon (@TraceysPhotos) December 9, 2021

Thou who with thine own mouth hast avouched that at midnight, at an hour when we are not aware, the Bridegroom shall come: Grant that the cry, The Bridegroom cometh, may sound evermore in our ears, that so we be never unprepared to meet him, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Good morning 💗 pic.twitter.com/rULDcSYmia

— Gülistan (@GuIistan_) December 8, 2021

Almighty and most merciful God, who has given the Bible to be the revelation of thy great love to man, and of thy power and will to save him: Grant that our study of it may not be made vain by the callousness or the carelessness of our hearts, but that by it we may be confirmed in penitence, lifted to hope, made strong for service, and, above all, filled with true knowledge of thee and of thy Son Jesus Christ.

There are no roads or trails at the @USFWS Pierce National Wildlife Refuge. Closed to the public, this refuge is literally for the birds.

It's home to threatened and endangered species, as well as one of the last remaining runs of chum salmon on the Columbia River. pic.twitter.com/8DBy4Y7ls0

— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) December 5, 2021

The Revd Tasha Critchlow, a hospital chaplain in London, speaks about the challenges of the past 18 months, adding: “Christmas brings people together in their desire to fight darkness and to find light.”

Kim Rowbotham, from Kettering, speaks about the challenges for bereaved people over the Christmas period, drawing through her own experience in losing her daughter.

“There is so much comfort and hope that I take from the Christmas story,” she says.

“Jesus came in to the world, this broken world, to give us a certain hope.”

She adds: “If I had to sum up Christmas in one word that word would be love.”

Read it all.

O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power
and come among us,
and with great might succour us;
that whereas, through our sins and wickedness
we are grievously hindered
in running the race that is set before us,
your bountiful grace and mercy
may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, now and for ever.
Amen.

Good morning! Sunrise in Kenya, Africa. pic.twitter.com/09wsExIjHs

— ღ☆•° ღ☆ (@secretsunset2) December 6, 2021

Almighty God, who in many and various ways didst speak to thy chosen people by the prophets, and hast given us, in thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the hope of Israel: Hasten, we beseech thee, the coming of the day when all things shall be subject to him, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Madrid during Sunrise 🌅 pic.twitter.com/sqGroQbIPS

— Scott ☘ (@Havenlust) December 5, 2021

O Wisdom, that camest out of the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to another, firmly and gently ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of understanding.

O Adonai, Captain of the house of Israel, who didst appear to Moses in the flame of the burning bush, and gavest him the law on Sinai: Come and deliver us with thine outstretched arm.

O Root of Jesse, who standest for an ensign of the people, before whom kings shall shut their mouths, to whom the nations shall seek: Come and deliver us and tarry not.

O Key of David, Sceptre of the house of Israel, who openest and no man shutteth, and shuttest and no man openeth: Come and bring forth out of the prison-house him that is bound.

O Day-spring from on high, Brightness of Eternal Light, and Sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

O King of nations, thou for whom they long, the Cornerstone that makest both one: Come and save thy creatures whom thou didst fashion from the dust of the earth.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

(For those interested in more about this, please read further there).

Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar, window 3
‘Snowy Lane’#RonaldLampitt pic.twitter.com/5ifUljrDGH

— Helen Day (@LBFlyawayhome) December 3, 2021

Grant, O Lord, that we who once again prepare for the commemoration of the coming of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, may so direct our hearts to the fulfillment of thy law, that he may now accept our hosannas, and in the life to come receive us in the heavenly Sion; where with thee and the Holy Ghost he liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end.

It warms the heart and soul watching sunrise. I had to wait a while today for the sun to clear the cloud. pic.twitter.com/UXtCL5a2tP

— Michelle Cowbourne (@Glastomichelle) December 2, 2021

O Almighty Father, fountain of light and salvation, we adore thine infinite goodness in sending thy only begotten Son into the world that, believing in him, we may not perish but have everlasting life; and we pray thee that, through the grace of his first advent to save the world, we may be made ready to meet him at his second advent to judge the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Life is better with flowers 🍃 pic.twitter.com/T2ybyRzV5a

— Daisy (@daisysdays1) November 30, 2021

Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth, in a serious seeking after thee, and in an affectionate walking with thee, every day of our lives; that when thou comest, we may be found not hiding our talent, nor serving the flesh, nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished, but waiting and longing for our Lord, our glorious God for ever and ever.

It really was special this morning in Shrewsbury. pic.twitter.com/leHOOPeCMf

— Liam Ball (@Liam_Ball92) November 29, 2021

Advent commemorates, celebrates, and kindles hope for the justice of God. King Jesus has come and his Father has raised him to Zion’s throne to reign with a rod of iron until his enemies are made his footstool (1 Cor. 15:25; cf. Ps. 110). The promise of Advent is the promise of public justice. Advent announces the coming of the Lord who breaks the arms of the sex traffickers, the drug lords, the arms dealers, and all their respectable collaborators. It’s the hope that God will overturn worlds built on oppression and violence, and will rescue and raise up their victims.

The only good news that meets the needs of the world is the good news of God’s judgment. That’s the gospel of Advent, the joy to which the angels of Advent summon us: Rejoice! Shout joyfully! For the Lord comes to judge the earth. He has come; he will come; he will judge the world in justice and all the peoples with equity.

Read it all.

Advent announces the coming of the Lord who breaks the arms of the sex traffickers, the drug lords, the arms dealers, and all their respectable collaborators.https://t.co/aV1YTVhfMF

— First Things (@firstthingsmag) November 27, 2021

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst warn us to prepare for the day when thou shalt come to be our judge: Mercifully grant that being awake from the sleep of sin, we may always be watching and intent upon the work thou hast given us to do; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer#charleston #StMichaels #Anglican #advent #church pic.twitter.com/f04nmnkId0

— Cynde (@cyndemwalton) November 28, 2021

Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Good morning, Maine. pic.twitter.com/hOsX9vv3yh

— Jonathan Milne 🌎🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿☕️⛵️ (@_Saving_Nature_) November 28, 2021

Lord, incline thine ear unto our prayers, wherein we right devoutly call upon thy mercy, that thou wilt bestow the souls of thy servants, both men and women, which thou hast commanded to depart from this world, in the country of peace and rest, and further cause them to be made partners with thy saints. By Christ our Lord. So be it.

Read it all.

All Souls is time to pray and remember loved ones who have died, each one of them known to God.

We give thanks for each life and honour their memory.

‘Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord
And let light perpetual shine upon them
May they rest in peace
And rise in glory’ pic.twitter.com/enQveEjPql

— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) November 2, 2021

O God, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers: Grant to the faithful departed the unsearchable benefits of the passion of thy Son; that on the day of his appearing they may be manifested as thy children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.

Today is All Souls' Day. This day developed in the Middle Ages as a time for comfort and connection between the living and the dead: a day to ensure no one was left alone in death, and to reassure the living of their place within a vast community of souls. https://t.co/ZFx5Vtm3FN pic.twitter.com/HahskU51aY

— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) November 2, 2021

Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

On All Saints’ Sunday we remember all Christian saints and martyrs, known and unknown. We give thanks for the lives of ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives of faith.

May God grant us grace to imitate those whose lives and example point us to the hope found in Christ. pic.twitter.com/MaoT8wVNoU

— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) October 31, 2021

O everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted the ministries of angels and men in a wonderful order: Mercifully grant that, as thy holy angels always serve and worship thee in heaven, so by thy appointment they may help and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Saint Michael and all Angels…Happy feast day. pic.twitter.com/2ARbLfTlyy

— Dave Flitcroft TSSF (@DaveFlitcroft) September 29, 2021

O God, who by the passion of thy blessed Son didst make an instrument of shameful death to be unto us the means of life and peace: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Holy Cross Day – Tuesday 14th September. Join us for Morning Prayer at 9am, Eucharist at 9.30am. All welcome. pic.twitter.com/HhA3pAdUDd

— St George's Edgbaston (@stg_edgbaston) September 12, 2021

Almighty God, by whose providence thy servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and after his example constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Nativity of John the Baptist

God our Father,
you raised up John the Baptist
to prepare a perfect people for Christ the Lord.

Give your Church joy in spirit
and guide those who believe in you
into the way of salvation and peace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. pic.twitter.com/6Taq3P8MUX

— Fr. Fiel Pareja (@padrefiel) June 23, 2021

Father in heaven, by whose grace the virgin mother of thine incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping thy word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to thy will; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Today is the feast of the Visitation. The Blessed Virgin and St Elizabeth meet in 15c glass at East Harling, Norfolk and a 14c wall painting at Willingham, Cambridgeshire.

'And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.' pic.twitter.com/TghLS26cKc

— Simon Knott (@last_of_england) May 31, 2021

To God the Father, who first loved us, and made us accepted in the Beloved; to God the Son, who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; to God the Holy Ghost, who sheddeth the love of God abroad in our hearts: to the one true God be all love and all glory for time and for eternity.

–Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Holy Trinity.#TrinitySunday
Glory be to the Father who is our hope , Glory be to the Son who is our strength and Glory be to the Holy Spirit who is our guide 🕊🙏🏼✝️#GodtheFather #GodtheSon#GodtheHolySpirit pic.twitter.com/SGTxXmH5JC

— St David's Primary (@stdavidsrc2017) May 30, 2021

Almighty and everlasting God, who in days of old didst cause thy Word to grow mightily and to prevail: We praise and magnify thy holy name for the manifestation of thy presence in this our day, and we beseech thee to pour out thy Spirit upon the Church, that thy way may be known upon earth and thy saving health among all nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sunrise on Hancock Avenue , Gettysburg Battlefield https://t.co/IWL2GW2qwC pic.twitter.com/tGMXU9w6QB

— civil war photographer (@William49585398) May 29, 2021

O Spirit of the living God, who dwellest in us; who art holy, who art good: Come thou, and fill the hearts of thy faithful people, and kindle within them the fire of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sunrise #Bangalore 🍵 ☕ pic.twitter.com/0cfDdaYiZn

— Sanchita (@Sanchit73083640) May 26, 2021

There is both an audio and a video option.

Filming a new @RidleyInstitute course with Ashley Null and Bishop Fitz Allison @standrewsmp @The_ACNA pic.twitter.com/oEsXJp0fcy

— Bishop Steve Wood (@revstevewood) May 7, 2019

O Almighty God, who hast fulfilled thy word of promise, and from thy heavenly throne hast poured out upon thy Church the gift of the Holy Spirit: Open our hearts, we pray thee, to receive the fullness of his grace and power; that our lives may be strengthened for the service of thy kingdom, and our souls be conformed more and more to the image of thy Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Unsurprisingly, the Scriptures locate Mary with the Apostles at Pentecost. Already, she fulfills the mission given her shortly before at the Cross: "Woman, behold your son" (Jn 19:26). From Calvary, through the Upper Room, Mary extends her maternal care to all. #MaterEcclesiae pic.twitter.com/fatgdfyWqM

— Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau, OP (@FrAquinasOP) May 24, 2021

O God, who in the exaltation of thy Son Jesus Christ dost sanctify thy universal Church: Shed abroad in every race and nation the gift of the Holy Spirit; that the work wrought by his power at the first preaching of the gospel may now be extended throughout the whole world; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Beautiful image of #Pentecost from an 11th-century German manuscript pic.twitter.com/Qe1jmoSB15

— Lisa Deam, PhD (@LisaKDeam) May 23, 2021

[At Pentecost Peter] intendeth to prove…that the Church can be repaired by no other means, saving only by the giving of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, forasmuch as they did all hope that the restoring drew near, he accuseth them of sluggishness, because they do not once think upon the way and means thereof. And when the prophet saith, “I will pour out,” it is, without all question, that he meant by this word to note the great abundance of the Spirit….when God will briefly promise salvation to his people, he affirmeth that he will give them his Spirit. Hereupon it followeth that we can obtain no good things until we have the Spirit given us.

–Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles

Flower pedals from the oculus of the Roman Pantheon on the Feast of Pentecost pic.twitter.com/YSPQL4X2wB

— Ryan Haecker (@RyanHaecker) May 23, 2021

Then began a meeting the like of which I had never seen before, nor wish to see again unless in God’s sight it is absolutely necessary. Every sin a human being can commit was publicly confessed that night. Pale and trembling with emotion, in agony of mind and body, guilty souls, standing in the white light of their judgment, saw themselves as God saw them. Their sins rose up in all their vileness, till shame and grief and self-loathing took complete possession; pride was driven out, the face of man forgotten. Looking up to heaven, to Jesus whom they had betrayed, they smote themselves and cried out with bitter wailing: “Lord, Lord, cast us not away forever!” Everything else was forgotten, nothing else mattered. The scorn of men, the penalty of the law, even death itself seemed of small consequences if only God forgave. We may have other theories of desirability or undesirability of public confession of sin. I have had mine; but I know now that when the Spirit of God falls upon guilty souls, there will be confession, and no power on earth can stop it.

Read it all.

'When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place…All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.'
Acts 2: 1, 4 pic.twitter.com/pK70Zf14Aw

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) May 23, 2021

Our attitude to our fallen nature should be one of ruthless repudiation. For ‘those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires’ (Gal. 5:24). That is, we have taken this evil, slimy, slippery thing called ‘the flesh’ and nailed it to the cross. This was our initial repentance. Crucifixion is dramatic imagery for our uncompromising rejection of all known evil. Crucifixion does not lead to a quick or easy death; it is an execution of lingering pain. Yet it is decisive; there is no possibility of escaping from it.

Our attitude to the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is to be one of unconditional surrender. Paul uses several expressions for this. We are to ‘live by the Spirit’ (Gal. 5:16, 18. 25). That is, we are to allow him his rightful sovereignty over us, and follow his righteous promptings.

Thus both our repudiation of the flesh and our surrender to the Spirit need to be repeated daily, however decisive our original repudiation and surrender may have been. In Jesus’ words, we are to ‘take up (our) cross daily’ and follow him (Lk 9:23). We are also to go on being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), as we open our personality to him daily. Both our repudiation and our surrender are also to be worked out in disciplined habits of life. It is those who ‘sow to the Spirit’ (Gal. 6:8) who reap the fruit of the Spirit. And to ‘sow to the Spirit’ means to cultivate the things of the Spirit, for example, by our wise use of the Lord’s Day, the discipline of our daily prayer and Bible reading, our regular worship and attendance at the Lord’s Supper, our Christian friendships and our involvement in Christian service. An inflexible principle of all God’s dealings, both in the material and in the moral realm, is that we reap what we sow. The rule is invariable. It cannot be changed, for ‘God cannot be mocked’ (Gal. 6:7). We must not therefore be surprised if we do not reap the fruit of the Spirit when all the time we are sowing to the flesh. Did we think we could cheat or fool God?

—Authentic Christianity (Nottingham, IVP, 1995)

Happy Pentecost!
Folio14 from the Rabula Gospels, Florence#Pentecostes2021 #VeniCreatorSpiritus pic.twitter.com/rLpCaa1Ee6

— Sr. Carolyn Morrison ra (@carolyn_ra) May 23, 2021